Apparatus for separating and counting bank-notes, cards, and the like.



G. W. TWISLETON-WYKEHAM-FIBNNES & M. BARRF APPARATUS r011 SEPABATING AND COUNTING BANK NOTES, CARDS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30, 1911.

Patented July 30, 1912.

Wilma UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARYL WENTWOBTH TWISLETON-WYKEHAM-FIENNES, OF LONDON, AND MARK BARR. OF HARRINGTON GARDENS, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING' COUNTING BANK-NOTES, CARDS, AND THE LIKE;

To allfiohorn it may concern:

I Be. itknown that we, CARYL WENTWORTH TwIsLE'roN-WYKEHAM-FmNNEs, a subject of the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britainand Ireland, residing at 350 Grays Inn 'road, in the county of London, England, and MARK BARR, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at 3 Gloucester Mansions, Harrington Gardens, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Apparatus for'Separating and Counting Bank-Notes, Cards, and the Like, of which thefollowing is a specificatiorn v This inventionrelates to apparatus whereby bank-notes, voting papers, cards and the like may be automatically separated and rapidly and accurately counted.

To avoidunnecessary repetition, the word card is hereinafter'employed to indicate the articles separated and counted by the apparatus forming the subject-matter of this invention, whether they be of the character of bank-notes, voting papers or other sheets or cards or the like, and it is to be understood that, wherever used in this specification or in the claims, the said word is intended to include all of such articles.

Among other features of the invention an important one is an arrangement of rollers between which the cards are passed, operating in such a way that a pair of such rollers is moved bodily each time a card is passed between them, this movement of the said rollers being used for actuating a counting device which thereby is caused to record the passage of such card.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates in partial sectional elevation one convenient form of apparatus for carrying the invention into efiect, l is a travelin belt, band, apron, shallow trough or the like upon which the cards are roughly dealt or placed in piles of convenient thickness. .They may be fed on to said band or the like by any suitable automatic means if Specification of Letters Patent.

Application-filed June 30, 1911.

Patented July 30, 1912.

Serial No. 686,195.

desired. Adjacent to the delivery end of this traveling band or the like 1, we mount a pair of cyllnders or rollers 2, 3, which are adapted to be rotated by any convenient means in such a manner that their adjacent surfaces move in the same direction at respectively different speeds so that they operate to draw the cards from the traveling belt 1. For this purpose, it is preferably the upper roller 3, which has a higher peripheral speed than has the lower roller 2, while the latter roller in turn preferably has a higher surface speed than has the traveling belt or band 1. l/Ve have found that by this arrangement the cards to be separated and counted are automatically separated on passing between the rollers 2 3, even though several of them may be in register before being engaged by the rollers.

The cards on passing between the rollers 2 3, are delivered substantially separately and successively on to a second traveling belt or band 4 which is preferably run at a higher surface speed than is the upper roller 3 whereby the cards will be properly separated as they pass on to said band 4 even though they overlap each other somewhat when leaving the roller 3. This second traveling band 4 delivers the cards to a second pair of rollers 5 adapted to run in contact with each other or with the cards, and having an equal peripheral speed. These rollers 5 are mounted upon a pivoted lever or arm 6 controlled by a spring 7 in such a manner as to normally hold it against a fixed stop 8, and in this position one of the rollers 5, for example the lower one, as shown, is in frictional driving contact with a driving roller 9 so that the two rollers 5 are driven thereby.

The rollers 5 pull each successive card from the second traveling band 4 and deliver it to a pair of delivery rollers 10, whose peripheral speed is greater than that of the rollers 5. The result of this arrangement is that each card is pulled by the rollers 10 faster than it is delivered by the rollers 5 with the result that the latter rollers, together with the lever 6 on which they are mounted, are deflected toward the delivery rollers 10. When the pivoted lever 6 with its rollers 5 is deflected, the lower of the said rollers is moved out of contact with the driving roller 9 and the rollers 5 are then driven solely by the pull of the card.

. The upper end of the lever (3, or a pin mounted thereon, or any other convenient means deriving its motion from the motion ofthe said lever, is employed to actuate any convenient form of counting or tally mechanism 11 as for example, the Veeder counter, and after each deflection of the lever 6 the latter is returned to its normal position by means of the spring 7, so that the rollers 5 carried b it, are again brought into frictional driving connection with the roller 9 and thereby in a condition for dealing with the next card which is to be counted.

It will be understood that our invention is not confined to the "actual details and arrangement given above as these details may be varied to suit the' difi'erent articles which are to be separated and counted.

Having described our invention, we declare that what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus for counting cards, the combination of a pair of rollers to which the cards are fed in a separated condition, means supporting said rollers so that they can move bodily in the direction of travel of the cards, a second pair of rollers rotating at a higher peripheral speed thando' the first mentioned rollers and capable of engaging each card before it leaves the latter rollers and thereby imparting the aforesaid bodily motion to those rollers, a counter, means whereby the counter is operated by the said bodily motion, and meansadapted to return the bodily movable rollers to their normal position.

2. In apparatus for counting cards, the combination of a pair of rollers to which the cards are fed in a separated condition,

-driving means for the said rollers, means supporting the said rollers so that they can move bodily from their normal position in the direction of travel of the cards, a counter actuated by the bodily movement of the rollers, a second pair of rollers rotating at a higher peripheral speed than do the first mentioned rollers and capable of engaging each card before it leaves the latter rollers, and means adapted to return the bodily movable rollers to their normal position.

3. In apparatus for counting cards, the combination of a pair of rollers to which the cards are fed in a separated condition, driving means for the said rollers, a pivoted lever supporting the said rollers so that they, together with that lever, can move bodily from their normal position in the direction of travel of the cards, a second pair of rollers rotating at a hi her peripheral speed than do the first mentloned rollers and adapted to engage each card before it leaves the latter rollers and thereby to impart the aforesaid bodily 'motion to those rollers and the lever supporting them, and a counter adapted to be operated by the swing of the said lever.

4. In apparatus for counting cards, the combination of a pair of rollers adapted to feed the cards on to a traveling belt, the adjacent surfaces of these rollers moving in the same direction at different speeds, the

belt traveling at a greater surface speed than either of the said rollers, the said belt, a second pair of rollers adapted to receive the cards from the belt, means supporting the last-named rollers so that they can move bodily from their normal position in the direction of travel of the cards, a third pair of rollers rotatingat a higher peripheral speed than do the second pair and adapted to engage each card before it leaves the said second pair of rollers and thereby to impart the aforesaid bodily motion to those rollers and the means supporting them, and a counter adapted to be operated by the swing of the said means.

5. In apparatus for counting cards, the combination of a pair of rollers adapted to feed the cards on to a traveling belt, the adjacent surfaces of these rollers moving in the same direction at different speeds the belt traveling at a greater surface speed than either of the said rollers, the said belt, a second pair of rollers adapted to receive the cards from the belt, means supporting the last-named rollers so that they can move bodily from their normal position in the direction of travel of the cards, driving means for this second pair of rollers, a third pair of rolers rotating at a higher peripheral speed than do the second pair and adapted to engage each card before it leaves the said second pair of rollers and thereby to impart the aforesaid bodily motion to those rollers and the means supporting them, and devices registering the said movements of the lastnamed means.

6'. In apparatus for counting cards, the combination of a traveling belt on to which the cards to be counted are placed, a pair of rollers adapted to receive the cards from the said belt the adjacent surfaces of these rollers moving in the same direction at different speeds both greater than the surface speed of the belt, a second belt adapted to receive the cards from the just-named rollers and traveling at a greater surface speed than either of the said rollers, a second pair of rollers adapted to receive the cards from the second belt, means supporting the lastnamed rollers so that they can move bodily from their normal position in the direction of travel of the cards, driving means for this second pair of rollers, a third pair of rolers rotating at a higher pehipheral speed than do the second pair and adapted to engage each card before it leaves the said second pair of rollers and thereby to impart the aforesaid bodily motion to those rollers, and devices registering the number of the said bodily mot-ions.

In witness whereof we, the said CARYL YVENTWORTH TWISLETON WYKEHAM FmN- NES and the said MARK BARR, have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two wit- 15 CARYL WENTWORTH 'lWISLE'lON- WYKEHAM-FIENNES. MARK BARR.

Witnesses as to the signature of Caryl VVentWorth TWisleton-VVykeham-Fiennes:

HENRY HART, FRANCIS ALBERT CLEMO. Witnesses as to the signature of Mark Barr:

CHAS. S. WOODROFFE, HENRY HART.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

